Knitting-machine attachment.



No. 668,569. Patented Feb. .|9, |90L F. B. WILDMAN.

KNITTING MACHINE ATTACHMENT. e

(Application led Nov. 7, 1900.) (No Model.)

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NiTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. WILDMAN, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCMICHAEL & WILDMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

KNITTINGFIVIACHINE ATTACHMENT;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent-No. 668,569, dated February 19, 1901.

Application filed November 7, 1.900. Serial No. 35,752. (No model.)

To all whom, if may cor/warn:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. V1nmnA1\I,aJ citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Knitting Machine Attachments, of which the following is a specication.

It is theobject of my invention to provide an attachment for knitting-machines adapted to transmit power intermittingly from the driving-shaft to the knitting devices, said attachment being applicable, for instance, to the type of knitting-machines shown by me in Letters Patent of the United States No. 613,346, dated November l, 1898.

My attachment may be employed to operate any of the knitting devices or their controliing means which are intended to produce various kinds of knitting. It may be used to operate the devices when a welt is to be formed or imitation lacework produced or to effect any of the adjustments or changes in the knitting which are to occur intermittingly.

While I have shown the attachment as applied to my patented form of machine, it will be understood that I do not Wish to limit myself in this respect, as said attachment may be used on other styles of machines.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front View of a knitting-head with my attachment in place. Fig. 2 is a side View of the attachment. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the attachment, showing in dotted lines enough of the machine-frame to indicate the location of my'attachment in relation thereto.

In the drawings the main driving-shaft is indicated at @carrying the driving-pulley b and a bevel-pinion c, which latter rotates the needle-cylinder in the ordinary mannerfor instance, as illustrated in the patent referred to.

My attachment comprises the parts now to be described. A pinion d, fixed to the main driving-shaft and forming part of my attachment, meshes with a gear-wheel e, carried by a swinging arm f, which is pivoted to the bracket or casing gin line with the axis of the main shaft and pinion af. This bracket or casing is screwed to the base of the machine, and,besides forming a support and cas- .ing for the gear, it pivotally supports a lever h, which extends forward from its pivotal point alongside of the gear e and above the bearing thereof. The gear has fixed thereto an eccentric c', which turns therewith, and upon this eccentric' a roller lc rests, which is supported by an arm or stud 2, extending Adown from the lever h. The lever at its front end engages the lower end of a pin or shaft Z, which is journaledin the base-liange of the machine and isprovided at its upper end with a roller m, which is adapted to operate either one or the other of the leversn 0 when moved vertically into the path of said levers, it being understood that the said levers are carried around past the roller by the rotary movemeut of the head. These arms or levers n o control the knitting devices to change the character of the work in a manner similar to that described in Letters Patent of the United States above mentioned and are representative, as used herein, of any suitable devices for controlling the character of the work. The shaft is moved vertically by the movemeut of the lever h, which is operated by the eccentric carried by the gear.

In order to render the action of the attachment intermittent, I support the gear-wheel e on the swinging arm f, as before stated, and by moving this arm forwardly, the eccentric is carried out of operative engagement with the roller la, and the lever h remains in its lowest position and inactive until the swinging arm, with the gear and eccentric, is swung rearwardly to bring the eccentric into operative engagement with the roller.

For moving and holding the gear and eccentric in their rearward position (shown in Fig. 2) to render the attachment operative I employ an arm 1o, carried by the rod or shaft q', said arm being connected by a cross piece or brace r with a shorter arm s, also snpported on the shaft q. This latter arm is in the path of pattern pins or surfaces o, carried by the wheel D, which is in turn supported on thc shaft u, which carries the measuring-wheel and ratchets E F of my patented form of machine. While the arm s is held up by the pattern pins or surfaces lv, the inclined arm p will also be held u p, and an in- IOO cline 3 on this arm engaging with a roller w on the swinging armf will hold the said arm, with the gear and eccentric, in the position shown in Fig. 2, and the attachment will be operated. The lever h will rise and fall, and the roller m will be raised and lowered to control the knitting devices. one revolution to two revolutions of the knitting-head, and the operation of the parts is such that the roller m will be held up for one revolution of the knitting-head and will be lowered for the following revolution. Assoon, however, as the pattern-pins o move from under the arm s, this, together with the arm p, will be released,and a spring zu, secured at one end to the casing g of the attachment and at the othei` to the swinging arm f, will draw the latter forward, and` thus throw the eccentric out of connection with the roller on the lever h, thus allowing the lever, with the disk on, to fall and remain down. The roller m will then contact with the lower lever o, and the knitting devices will remain in the positionsto which they are adjusted by the movementfof the lower lever or finger o. A stop y on` the casing limits the forward movement of the swinging arm. The gear will remain in mesh with the pinion and will be constantly rotating, together with the eccentric, in all positions of the parts as the swinging arm is pivoted in the axial line of the pinion, and the intermittent action of the attachment is secured by swinging the rotary gear, so that its eccentric will be thrown into and out of connection with the roller of the lever h.

The frames of the ordinary machines are made with bearings for the shaft q, so that when the attachment is to be used the shaft can be fitted to said bearings.

The wheels D E F are the same as those shown in my patent referred to, andthe roller or disk N is also the same as-that shown therein, this roller being raised and lowered to control the knitting devices through a pair of levers or fingers. (Not shown, but similar to those marked a o intended for the roller It will be seen that in providing my present attachment I have had to locate the parts so that they would not interfere in any way with the knitted web as it passes down from the machine. and at the same time I have aimedto control the attachment from parts of the machine, as shown in theipatent referred to. In carrying out my purpose I have therefore located the attachment on the side of the-machine opposite to that upon which thevcontrolling parts are placed and out of the way of the work, and I use a cross connection consisting of the lever-arms p s and part r, so as to control the attachment.

The gear e makes I claim- 1. In combination in a knitting-machine, the pinion, the shifting gear meshing therewith constantly, and connections to be operated by the gear for changing the character of. the knitting and controlled by the shifting of the same, and pattern mechanism for automatically shifting the gear, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a knitting-machine, connections for controlling the knitting devices comprising a shifting gear with means for rotating it constantly, an eccentric carried by the gear to shift therewith, and means to be operated by the eccentric.

3. In combination with a knitting-machine, connections forl controlling. the knitting devices comprising a pinion, agear meshing therewith, aV swinging support for theigear pivoted axially of thev pinion, means to be operated by the rotation of the gear while in one position and to be inoperative when the gear is in a-nother position, and pattern means for automatically shifting the gear, substantially as described'.

4. In combination ina knitting-machine, thepinion, a shifting gear constantly in mesh with the same, an eccentric carried by the gear, a' lever operated by the eccentric. while the shifting geariisinone position and means for automatically shifting the gear to render said lever inoperative, substantially as described.

5. In combination, a plurality of sets of connections leading to the knitting devices, a measuring or pattern wheel on one side of the machinefor operating oneiset of said connect-ions, shifting driving connections on the other side of the machine for operating the other set of connections, and controlling connections leading from the pattern devices on one side of the machine to the shifting driving connections on the other side of the machine, substantially as described.

6. In combination, the pinion, theshifting gear,constantly in mesh therewith, theswinging arm supporting theshifting gear, a lever for holding the swinging arm with the gear in operative position, a rocking bar connected tothe said lever, an arm at the otherend of the said bar, a pattern device for operating the saidfarmiand a spring for swinging the arm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ax my-signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK B. WILDMAN.

Witnesses:

JAMES A. HURST, FLORENCE E. SHAW.

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